Glass package dispenser for aerosols



Dec. 31, 1957 R. H. ABPLANALP 2,318,202

GLASS PACKAGE DISPENSER FOR EROSOLS Filed Aug. 20, 1953 F 1 F *5 a /5 l5 %.'7;,"' l m I" z 2 a INVENTOR. Poss/er H. fls mA/mp United ttes GLASS PACKAGE DISPENSER FOR AEROSOLS Application August 20, 1953, Serial No. 375,515

9 Claims. (Cl. 222-394) This invention relates to the dispensing of aerosols and other pressure packaged materials.

The great majority of aerosols are presently retailed in metal containers. There are, however, some materials which attack or chemically react with such containers and must therefore be packaged in glass or other chemically nonreactive containers. Among these materials may be mentioned alcohol and water formulations, such as perfumes, colognes, and certain ethical pharmaceuticals, notably burn and athletes foot medications, etc. These materials deteriorate when packaged in metal containers or glass containers using metallic valve parts, particularly when left in contact with the metal for any appreciable period. They should be packed in glass containers and the vlave mechanisms associated therewith must be such as to exert no deleterious effect upon the packaged material.

Heretofore no satisfactory aerosol dispenser has been commercially produced for the packaging of such materials in glass, notwithstanding a definite need therefor. Consequently materials of this character are universally packaged at atmospheric pressure and are manually applied through the use of squirt nozzles, swabs and finger application.

The association of an aerosol dispenser with a glass container involves numerous problems. For example, the dispenser must be so constituted that it may be associated with the neck of a glass bottle by automatic production machinery in such manner as to produce a pressure tight joint without fracturing or breaking the bottle. it must be sufiiciently yielding to take up irregularities in the shape and size of the bottle top, while being sufficiently firm and strong to maintain pressure tight joints between the parts indefinitely and it must be economical to make, and assemble and efiicient in use. Furthermore, to handle critical aerosol materials, it must be so constructed that it is free from such metal parts in contact with the material as would undesirably affect the latter.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a practical glass package dispenser for aerosols which will satisfactorily fulfill these requirements.

I have discovered, through protracted experiments, research and tests, a dispenser construction well adapted to be associated with a glass container and chemically inert to materials which are deleteriously affected by contact with metal.

In practice, 1 preferably utilize the general type of valve construction shown in my prior Patent No. 2,631,814, issued March 17, 1953, but construct certain parts of such material in such manner as to properly coact with glass and be chemically non-reactive with the material to be dispensed. When thus utilized, the valve housing, which supports the valve body and the valve core, is of an inert plastic, such as polyethylene resin. This resin is sufficiently yielding to permit the valve housing to be firmly clamped by an external metal cap to the lip of a glass bottle under enough pressure to insure a pressure seal atet between the housing and the bottle. The valve body is supported within the housing by a snap connection to facilitate the assembly of the parts and is preferably made of a relatively harder plastic material, such as nylon. Nylon has also been found to be a highly satisfactory material for the making of the valve core and its stem. The discharge button, aswell as the dip tube are preferably made from polyethylene resin. Until a better material is discovered,-the spring, which cooperates with the valve core, is made of stainless steel, although it may be made of other metals and thoroughly coated with a chemically inert plastic, such asa synthetic plastic or rubber. The sealing member of the valve is preferably of rubber.

Experience has shown that glass container packages, constituted as stated, satisfactority contain alcohol and water formulations indefinitely without deterioration of the latter and function properly until. the entire contents of the packages are dispensed.

Features of the invention other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and appended claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

The drawing illustrates one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Fig. l is a central vertical section through a container and associated dispenser embodying the present invention, the parts of the dispenser being shown in sealing condition.

Fig. 2 is a view like Fig. 1, but showing the parts in dispensing condition.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental central section showing the manner of attaching the valve body to the valve housing.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 designates a glass bottle having a neck 2 and a lip 3. On this neck is seated a valve housing 4 of inert somewhat yieldable plastic, such as polyethylene resin. This valve housing is provided with a central cavity 5 having a top wall 6 with a central opening 7. The lower portion of the cavity is enlarged to provide a shoulder 8 at the periphery of which is an annular channel 9. The lower face of the valve housing 4 has an annular groove 10 adapted to interfit with a bead 11 formed on the upper surface of the bottle lip 3. The outer diameter of the housing is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the lip 3.

The valve housing 4 is secured to the bottle by a metal cap 12, the top wall of which has a central opening 13, slightly larger than the opening 7 of the valve housing and coaxial therewith. When applying the valve housing to the bottle, some little pressure is applied to the top of the cap 12, so as to place the valve housing under vertical compression to conform and seat it firmly on the bottle and the lower end of the cap is then flanged inwardly, as shown at 14, to permanently secure the valve housing to the bottle with a pressure tight joint between them. The walls of the housing are made sufiiciently thick to preclude seepage therethrough of the aerosol material packed in the container.

The sealing member 15 of the dispenser is in the form of a rubber annulus, the upper surface of which is seated against the shoulder 6 of the housing and clamped firmly thereto to make a tight seal therewith, by the valve body 16. This valve body is of generally tubular form. Its upper end is chamfered, as at 17, to insure a tight joint with the rubber annulus and it is provided at its lower end with a nipple 18 to which is attached the usual dip tube 19. The dip tube is preferably made of polyethylene while the valve body is of nylon.

Intermediate its upper and lower ends, the valve body is provided with a radial flange 20 to seat against the shoulder 8 and on its periphery is formed a radially extending bead 21, so proportioned as to be received into the channel 9 with a close fit. Since nylon is relatively hard and polyethylene resin relatively soft, it is possible to spring the bead 21 into the channel 9 if the groove 10 in the lower face of the valve housing is placed in proximity to the channel 9, as shown in Fig. 3.

The housing and valve body are assembled by introducing one side of the bead 21 into the channel 9, as shown at the left in Fig. 3, and then pressing the bead at the other side of the valve body into the channel, as shown at the right hand side of Fig. 3. It will be noted that the inner portion of the valve housing below the channel 9 may be sprung radially outwardly sufliciently to permit the entrance of the bead 21 into channel 9 and as soon as this is accomplished that part of the valve housing contracts back into the normal position shown in Figs. 1 and Z "to firmly hold the valve body in the valve housing.

When the valve housing is subsequently mounted on the container and clamped tightly in place thereon by the flanged cap, the bead 11 of the container will project into the groove 10, as shown in these latter figures, and lock the valve body into position so that it cannot be detached no matter how much pressure is exerted downwardly upon valve core 22 next to be described. The clamping action of the cap will also assure the tight clamping of the resilient annulus between the upper edge of the valve body and the top wall of the housing.

The valve core 22 is positioned within the tubular valve body with sufiicient clearance around it to permit material from the container to bypass the core. Said core has an integral tubular stem 23 which extends upwardly through the central opening of the rubber annulus and through the openings 7 and 13 of the housing and cap and is adapted to be fitted at its upper end with a discharge button 24.

In the region where the stem 23 passes through the rubber annulus, said stem is provided with a cylindrical neck 25, the upper portion of which is flared outwardly in inverted frusto-conical form, as shown at 26. These neck parts 25 and 26 collectively extend through the rubber annulus and the parts function in the manner described in my said prior patent. That is to say, a perforation 27 through the neck 25, is normally sealed by the rubber annulus, as shown in Fig. 1, the parts being held in this condition by a helical spring 28. When pressure is applied to the top of the button 24 by pressing the operators finger thereon, the valve stem and the core will move downwardly to flare the rubber annulus l downwardly and outwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, so that material within the container can pass upwardly through the dip tube, bypass the valve core 22 and pass through the perforation 27 into a longitudinal passage 29 of the stem and from thence into a chamber 30 in the button, to be discharged through an orifice 31 in the form of a fine mist or spray depending upon the shape and size of the orifice and the material to be dispensed. When the finger pressure is released, the spring 28, augmented by the pressure in the container, will cause return of the parts from the dispensing condition shown in Fig. 2 to the normally sealed condition of Fig. 1.

The discharge button may be conveniently molded from polyethylene resin. In fact, all parts of the structure, except the spring, are well adapted for quantity production molding. The spring presently in use is of stainless steel which, for most formulations, will retain its efiicacy without deterioration of the contents of the container for long periods of time. However, if desired, the springs may be coated with latex, rubber, gutta percha, or any other suitable natural or synthetic plastic, to protect the metal of the spring from direct contact with the material in the container.

Experience has shown that the present invention will effectually carry out its intended purposes, will operate smoothly indefinitely, may be manufactured and assembled at minimum cost and is thoroughly satisfactory in every respect. Ordinarily all parts of the dispenser are assembled with the outer skirt of the cap in unflanged condition and with the button in place, so that the entire dispensing device, including the dip tube, is supplied to the packager as a unit. All that the packager has to do is to slip the cap over the bottle lip, apply suificient pressure to the cap to firmly press the housing against the top of the bottle and then wipe or spin the lower edge of the cap inwardly to form the flange 14 and thus complete the package.

The present invention was primarily conceived for use with glass containers, for therein lies a problem heretofore not satisfactorily solved. It is to be understood, however, that the structure which has been hereinbefore described may be used with any container having an appropriate lip to which the dispensing mechanism of this invention may be secured, such, for example, as plastic bottles and even metal containers, without departing from this invention.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical form, but the invention is to be understood as fully commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A dispenser for pressure packed materials comprising: a plastic housing having a recess open at its bottom and closed at its top except for a central opening in its top wall, a resilient annulus seated against the under side of said top wall and coaxial therewith, said housing being provided internally near its open bottom with an annular channel, a plastic valve body provided with a bead sprung into the annular channel of the housing with the upper end of the body clamping the resilient annulus between the body and the top wall of the housing, a dip tube depending from the valve body, a plastic core positioned Within the valve body and having a tubular stem extending upwardly through the central opening of the resilient annulus and terminating in a discharge button having an orifice, a port through the wall of the tubular stem between the upper and lower surfaces of the resilient annulus and normally sealed thereby, and a spring within the valve body bearing against the valve core to normally maintain said port in sealed position.

2. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the under side of said housing has an annular groove in proximity to said channel.

3. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the resilient annulus is of rubber, the valve housing is of polyethylene resin and the valve core is of nylon.

4. A dispenser for pressure packed materials comprising: a valve housing of yieldable material having an open bottom with an internal channel spaced from its lower edge, a valve body having a peripheral bead sprung into said channel to support the valve body in its housing, a container having a lip on the upper edge of which the lower edge of the valve housing is seated with said lip below the channel of the valve housing, and means for clamping the valve housing to said lip to lock said bead in said channel.

5. A dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the housing is of a sufliciently yieldable plastic to permit the bead to be sprung into the channel.

6. A dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the valve housing is formed of relatively compressible plastic and the valve body is of harder plastic material.

7. A dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the bottom edge of the valve housing has a groove in proximity to but spaced from the base of the channel to facilitate the introduction of the bead into the channel before the housing is clamped to the container.

8. A dispenser according to claim 7, wherein the lip 5 of the container has a bead projecting into the groove in the housing.

9. A dispenser according to claim 4, comprising a resilient annulus clamped between an abutment within the valve housing and the valve body, and a valve core within said valve body cooperating with said resilient annulus to restrain and control the flow of material from the container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Garrett Oct. 7, Rosenwald et a1. Aug. 29, Dey Aug. 28, Fooshee Nov. 10, Boyer Feb. 2, Cooprider et al. Mar. 1, Collins et a1. Nov. 27, 

